Etihad Airways invites Special Olympics UAE athletes to its Young Aviators programme

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, welcomed a group of Special Olympics UAE athletes to Zayed Campus, the airline’s training academy, to take part in the Young Aviators programme, an initiative which aims to inspire youth and increase their knowledge of the aviation industry.

Established
to support human development, one of the themes for the Year of Zayed, the
Young Aviator programme includes a guided tour of the Etihad headquarters and
Training Academy, sessions in the full flight simulators and walkthroughs of an
Airbus A320 and Boeing 777.

Robin
Kamark, Etihad Aviation Group Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Education has
the power to change lives and we were honoured to showcase our facilities to
the athletes preparing to participate in the upcoming Special Olympics World
Games Abu Dhabi 2019.

“Our
aim is to get people excited about aviation by putting them in the pilot seat
in our simulators and by experiencing abridged aircraft training through our
Young Aviator programme, led by a group of our very own volunteers.”

During
the tour, Special Olympics athletes visited the training venues at Zayed Campus
and were introduced to the pilot training process and the airline’s flight
safety procedures during a speaking seminar.

Talal Al Hashemi, National Director of Special
Olympics UAE, said: “Initiatives like the Young Aviators programme support the
growth of a diverse and inclusive workplace culture across the UAE. When we
listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we build a more
inclusive society and a harmonious whole. Diversity strengthens innovative
capacity, unleashes the potential of employees and directly contributes to
business success and we encourage other industry partners to develop and lead
other likeminded programmes.”

Etihad
Airways aims to attract approximately 1,000 students, including special needs
athletes to participate in the programme.

Earlier
this year, Etihad Airways announced a series of initiatives to mark the Year of
Zayed including dedicated Airbus A380 flights hosting content inspired by the
late Sheikh Zayed, a specially branded freighter flew humanitarian relief to
Greece and in commemoration of his environmental stewardship, the airline
launched the Abu Dhabi Birdathon to drive awareness of flamingo conservation.